Chapter 16 of The last dragon is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The last dragon is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DALLAHAN “Oh--oh”--cried Peter in surprise, “you’re--you’re not the Princess are--are you?” “No,” said the red dragon in a shrunken voice, “I’m--I’m just Dallahan.” Peter clutched his sword to defend himself. “But--but how _little_ you are--not a bit like a real dwagon,” he said. “I--I _am_ little now,” Dallahan whimpered.
Chapter 16 of The last dragon is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/10 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
past form of “clutch” — take hold of; grab
From this reading “Peter clutched his sword to defend himself.”
argue or speak in defense of
From this reading “Peter clutched his sword to defend himself.”
a creature of Teutonic mythology; usually represented as breathing fire and having a reptilian body and sometimes wings
From this reading ““No,” said the red dragon in a shrunken voice, “I’m--I’m just Dallahan.””
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading “DALLAHAN “Oh--oh”--cried Peter in surprise, “you’re--you’re not the Princess are--are you?””
The daughter of a monarch; a female member of a royal family.
From this reading “DALLAHAN “Oh--oh”--cried Peter in surprise, “you’re--you’re not the Princess are--are you?””
lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness
From this reading ““No,” said the red dragon in a shrunken voice, “I’m--I’m just Dallahan.””
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading “DALLAHAN “Oh--oh”--cried Peter in surprise, “you’re--you’re not the Princess are--are you?””
a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
From this reading “Peter clutched his sword to defend himself.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading ““No,” said the red dragon in a shrunken voice, “I’m--I’m just Dallahan.””
In this reading “DALLAHAN “Oh--oh”--cried Peter in surprise, “you’re--you’re not the Princess are--are you?””
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “No,” said the red dragon in a shrunken voice, “I’m--I’m just Dallahan.”
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I--I _am_ little now,” Dallahan whimpered.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading DALLAHAN “Oh--oh”--cried Peter in surprise, “you’re--you’re not the Princess are--are you?”
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading “But--but how _little_ you are--not a bit like a real dwagon,” he said.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But--but how _little_ you are--not a bit like a real dwagon,” he said.
past form of “clutch” — take hold of; grab
From this reading Peter clutched his sword to defend himself.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading DALLAHAN “Oh--oh”--cried Peter in surprise, “you’re--you’re not the Princess are--are you?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DALLAHAN “Oh--oh”--cried Peter in surprise, “you’re--you’re not the Princess are--are you?”
argue or speak in defense of
From this reading Peter clutched his sword to defend himself.
a creature of Teutonic mythology; usually represented as breathing fire and having a reptilian body and sometimes wings
From this reading “No,” said the red dragon in a shrunken voice, “I’m--I’m just Dallahan.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But--but how _little_ you are--not a bit like a real dwagon,” he said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “But--but how _little_ you are--not a bit like a real dwagon,” he said.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Peter clutched his sword to defend himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Peter clutched his sword to defend himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But--but how _little_ you are--not a bit like a real dwagon,” he said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I--I _am_ little now,” Dallahan whimpered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “No,” said the red dragon in a shrunken voice, “I’m--I’m just Dallahan.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading DALLAHAN “Oh--oh”--cried Peter in surprise, “you’re--you’re not the Princess are--are you?”
and nothing more
From this reading “No,” said the red dragon in a shrunken voice, “I’m--I’m just Dallahan.”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “But--but how _little_ you are--not a bit like a real dwagon,” he said.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “But--but how _little_ you are--not a bit like a real dwagon,” he said.
not any; not one
From this reading “No,” said the red dragon in a shrunken voice, “I’m--I’m just Dallahan.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading DALLAHAN “Oh--oh”--cried Peter in surprise, “you’re--you’re not the Princess are--are you?”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “I--I _am_ little now,” Dallahan whimpered.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading DALLAHAN “Oh--oh”--cried Peter in surprise, “you’re--you’re not the Princess are--are you?”
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading DALLAHAN “Oh--oh”--cried Peter in surprise, “you’re--you’re not the Princess are--are you?”
The daughter of a monarch; a female member of a royal family.
From this reading DALLAHAN “Oh--oh”--cried Peter in surprise, “you’re--you’re not the Princess are--are you?”
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading “But--but how _little_ you are--not a bit like a real dwagon,” he said.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading “No,” said the red dragon in a shrunken voice, “I’m--I’m just Dallahan.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “No,” said the red dragon in a shrunken voice, “I’m--I’m just Dallahan.”
lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness
From this reading “No,” said the red dragon in a shrunken voice, “I’m--I’m just Dallahan.”
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading DALLAHAN “Oh--oh”--cried Peter in surprise, “you’re--you’re not the Princess are--are you?”
a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
From this reading Peter clutched his sword to defend himself.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading DALLAHAN “Oh--oh”--cried Peter in surprise, “you’re--you’re not the Princess are--are you?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Peter clutched his sword to defend himself.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “No,” said the red dragon in a shrunken voice, “I’m--I’m just Dallahan.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I--I _am_ little now,” Dallahan whimpered.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading DALLAHAN “Oh--oh”--cried Peter in surprise, “you’re--you’re not the Princess are--are you?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DALLAHAN “Oh--oh”--cried Peter in surprise, “you’re--you’re not the Princess are--are you?”
Chapter 16 of The last dragon by Dan Totheroh holds 53 sentences, grouped into 11 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 16 holds 53 sentences of The last dragon, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The last dragon by Dan Totheroh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 53 sentences, grouped into 11 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 11 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 16 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading The last dragon by Dan Totheroh on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The last dragon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The last dragon to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The last dragon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
